Neufeld's (Lisa, Bright and Dark) rather flat novel centers on Dan, a boy of indeterminate age who has lived in numerous foster homes and has just been adopted by the Knox family. Though his new parents may be welcoming (albeit overly angelic), his snide older "sister," Mary Kate, is not. The narrative chronicling the boy's thoughts and his fears that this family, like others before, will return him to "the state" is relatively convincing, but the Knox family comes across as stereotypical. Mary Kate and her mother (who is pregnant) engage in ongoing and repetitious conversations about why they adopted Dan ("Aren't I enough for you?" she asks her mother). One such exchange inspires the title (Mrs. Knox tells her daughter that Dan has "a lot locked up inside him.... I'm not sure I can find the key to unlock Dan's heart. And I'm not at all certain even Dan knows where the handle or the key is"). Readers may be dubious about why Mary Kate's insensitivity to Dan's plight (she suggests to him on several occasions that he leave the family) grows to such cruel proportions (she forges her mother's name on a letter to the state's Child Protective Services, in an attempt to get rid of Dan). Unlike his sister, Dan is a sympathetic character, yet the dynamics between the two fail to ring true and frequently tiresome dialogue makes for a sluggish pace. Ages 8-12. (Sept.)
